[imText1]The hate for Kim Jong Il is heightening in the Korean Japanese (Korean descendents in Japan) community. The building of hatred was catalyzed by the incident of “fake corps incident” of Yokota Megumi. There is a uncomfortable coexistence of “Korean Soap Opera Wave” and “Criticism of Kim Jong Il” in the Korean Japanese community.
Hatred toward Kim Jong Il is geared toward the followers of Kim Jong Il as well. Especially the criticisms toward the followers of Kim Jong Il in the leader group of Cho-chong-ryun(fro-North Korean group) are intensifying.
Followers of Kim Jong Il attacked those of whom recommended democratic reform of Cho-chong-ryun using the internal documents and “Chosun Shinbo,” but they are the ones actually becoming more and more isolated from the Korean Japanese community.
Isolated Cho-chong-ryun Leader Group
The leaders of Cho-chong-ryun proclaimed that Korean Japanese “Minjok School” is “Commander Kim Jong Il’s school” and tried to make Korean Japanese people to belong to Kim Jong Il, which have been heavily opposed by the Korean Japanese people. They have also argued that only North Korea is their homeland and tried to convince Korean Japanese community of it, but constant visits to South Korea are made by those Cho-chong-ryun who believe South Korea is also their homeland.
Followers of Kim Jong Il have been trying to assure the relatives of the “returnees” (Korean Japanese who “returned” to North Korea) as the source of fund (for Kim Jong Il regime), but there is almost no one who accepts such an obligation. It has been long that Korean Japanese community grew apart from Kim Jong Il and his followers.
Korean Japanese people started to gain a critical eye against “Kim Jong Il advocacies,” which is full of paradox.
Actually, Kim Jong Il advocacies prevailed since the South-North summit in June, 2000. The leading person was the former South Korean president, Kim Dae Jung. President Kim aroused fear among those demanding for stricter response toward Kim Jong Il by saying, “are you asking for a war?” and cut the roots of the criticisms against his policy. President Roh Moo Hyun inherited President Kim’s policy.
Dying Fire – Kim Jong Il Advocacies
Such a paradox slipped into a part of Korean Japanese community as well. One Korean Japanese scholar once presented a “theory of peace” that failed to make sense. He said, “There has been a criticism which said the (South-North) Summit was bought by money, but peace without justice is better than justice without peace. Even if peace could be bought by money, that peace is still good.”
The scholar’s “Peace Theory” arguing that if there is peace, justice is not necessary, is a losing peace theory that surrenders before violence. The scholar does not realize the fact that the reason why people love peace is because it coexists with justice, freedom, and affluence.
However, Korean Japanese community has started to realize that this distorted peace theory that offers money to Kim Jong Il and justifies the kind of “official corruption,” is being used to side with a dictator that demands money using “war” as a tool. The people who have been using Kim Jong Il advocacies have been argued, “Korean Japanese community must not advocate for collapse of Kim Jong Il regime” or “If we provoke Kim Jong Il, terror will take place.” They can no longer evade their own isolation.
Korean Japanese people have gained a critical eye to clearly see the followers of Kim Jong Il within the leader group of Cho-chong-ryun as well as the advocators of the “sunshine policy” in the Korean Japanese “democratic group.”
Park Doo Jin / Advisor to The Unification Daily, Japan
